The Virtue of Virga With parched and cracked countenance the desert wistfully watches the descent of rain that will never reach the ground. Virga is the fall of rain from a cloud that evaporates high above the Earth. Though a seemingly sad vista for the arid land and dry plants, this sunset scene signals clearing skies soon after nightfall. The clouds will quickly relinquish their moisture and fall apart. Soon after astronomers will begin to collect the rain of light that the universe showers on us nightly in the desert southwest.